Bio-ORACLE is a set of GIS rasters providing geophysical, biotic and environmental data for surface and benthic marine realms. The data are available for global-scale applications at a spatial resolution of 5 arcmin (approximately 9.2 km at the equator).
Linking biodiversity occurrence data to the physical and biotic environment provides a framework to formulate hypotheses about the ecological processes governing spatial and temporal patterns in biodiversity, which can be useful for marine ecosystem management and conservation.
The focus of this resource is on the effects of changes in air and sea surface temperature, rainfall, sea-level rise and extreme weather events on island environments, economies and people. It is vital to enhance individual and community skills to adapt to these changes – in other words, to reduce risks and maximize potential benefits.